Bongu! It’s another lovely day in Malta, as our Wiwi Jury – our team of music un-professionals – continue to review the songs of Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2018.

Today they’re looking at boy band Avenue Sky. The six-piece group are made up of artists from ages 34 to 17, including solo artist Aidan (who’s entering himself with Dai Laga). They enter MESC for the first time with “We Can Run”.

Avenue Sky — “We Can Run”

“We Can Run” Reviews:

Angus: “We Can Run” bristles with boyish enthusiasm, thumping along with all the energy and infectious enthusiasm of an international sporting event anthem. Avenue Sky have served up a big wedge of cheese, and while initially delicious, you can have too much of a good thing. The same energy that initially advantages the song, flags after the first minute, and vocal polish can’t distract from the limited lyrics on offer here.

Score:5/10

Antranig: “We Can Run” is carefree, easy listening with a positive message. It’s certainly an enjoyable three minutes and it builds towards a memorable climax. As a whole, it’s a very credible entry and could do reasonably well at Eurovision. However, you have to feel as though it is a bit too middle of the road to make a huge impression.

Score:7/10

Jonathan: A boy band with members of such varying ages (between 17 and 34) is an interesting concept. But Avenue Sky still seem to gel quite well together. “We Can Run” is a nice uplifting song, and no doubt to get all of Malta chanting “hey oh-oh-oh”. The studio version gets a tad repetitive towards the end, but they should be able to lift it and bring the energy the song needs for the live performance.

Score:7/10

Luis: Avenue Sky sound like what Lighthouse X should have sounded like, if they had sent a current entry in 2016. That means there’s two problems here: Lighthouse X went to Eurovision two years ago, and they crashed out in the semifinals. These guys won’t probably fare better if they somehow manage to get to Lisbon.

Score:4/10

Barnabas: This song could actually win, as the boys come with some and solid pop rock tunes, however it wouldn’t be a standout in Lisbon. It lacks the “boom” that usually exists in such tracks. If they won, they should consider adding some kind of instrumental to the track, and turning the last chorus to an even more heavier one. Close it out with a “bang” on stage.

Score:6/10

Natalie: This is a really pretty, anthemic song that is sure to lift the hearts of a lot of voters. It’s pretty subtle and bouncy too, which just makes it that little bit more likeable. The only criticism is that at times, it might be a little bit repetitive and grating – “Hey Oh Oh Oh” can only take you so far. But this is a nice little song for the Maltese selection.

Score:7/10

In our Malta Wiwi Jury, we have 17 jurors but only room for 6 reviews. The rest of our scores can be found below:

Chris: 5/10

Deban: 6/10

Robyn: 3/10

William: 5.5/10

Sebastian: 5/10

Bernardo: 6.5/10

Rezo: 5/10

Josh: 6/10

Jordi: 3.5/10

Lukas: 6.5/10

Patrick: 5/10

Before calculating the average score, the highest and lowest scores are dropped. This is to remove outliers and reduce potential bias. We have removed a low of 3 and a high of 7.

WIWI JURY VERDICT: 5.53/10

Do you want to run with Avenue Sky? Let us know your thoughts on their entry in the comments section below!

Chris Halpin

Chris has been a Eurovision fan since 1997, when he entertained his family with an all too enthusiastic commentary over Katrina and the Waves' victory. Today, he does much the same on the internet, including on his Twitter, @KatsJonouchi. Keep up with the latest Eurovision news and gossip by liking our Facebook page and by following the team on Twitter @wiwibloggs.

I agree with most of what has been said already, and I’m with Angus on this one. This song delivers plenty of enthusiasm and cheese, but has an effect that slowly wears off throughout the three minutes. It really is Lighthouse X “Soldiers of Love, 2.0”! The most memorable part of this song is the “hey, oh-oh-oh” hook, which makes it sound like the music to a promo for a political ad campaign. The group can certainly run for election, but maybe not for the Eurovision title. 5/10

I could do without the really cheesy harmonising parts of the song but this sounds like a serviceable addition to the soundtrack of an animated kids’ film. Having said that, as a boyband, they do have a Lighthouse X problem. What exactly is their appeal and who is their target audience?

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